Interior of a Taishan ancestral hall with spirit tablets, incense, and ceremonial offerings

The Gao (高) Surname: From the State of Gao to the Wuyi Diaspora

Gao (高) Surname: From the State of Gao to the Wuyi Diaspora A Thousand Years on One Page One surname. One village. One book that claims a thousand years. The register in question — the genealogy of the Gao (高, Gāo) family of Nafu Village (那伏村, Nàfú Cūn) in Shadui Township, Xinhui District (沙堆镇, 新会区),…

August 18, 20260Comments

BySteven

County Guides

Zhongshan County Guide: The Diaspora’s Overlooked Home County

Zhongshan County Guide: The Diaspora's Overlooked Home County Between Guangzhou and Macau, on the western shore of the Pearl River estuary, lies a county that has spent the last 170 years sending its people to sea. Wave after wave of its sons left for Hawaii's sugar fields, Sydney's produce markets, the clan halls of Vancouver…

August 18, 20260Comments

BySteven

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Yuan (袁) Surname: From the State of Chen to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Yuan (袁) Surname: From the State of Chen to the Wuyi Diaspora The Name Before the Place Most Chinese surnames are named for a place. A king granted a fief; the family took the fief's name; the name outlived the fief. The surname Yuan (袁姓, Yuán xìng) did not begin this way. It began…

August 14, 20260Comments

BySteven

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Pan (潘) Surname: From the State of Pan to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Pan (潘) Surname: From the State of Pan to the Wuyi Diaspora The Pan surname traces to two royal lineages of ancient China. The first descends from the ruling house of the State of Pan (潘国, Pānguó), a small vassal polity of the Zhou period whose princes shared the blood of the Zhou kings;…

August 13, 20260Comments

BySteven

Su Wu herding sheep — the Han envoy and his worn staff, from a classical painting by Huang Shen (苏武牧羊)

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Su (苏) Surname: From the Ancient State of Su to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Su (苏) Surname: From the Ancient State of Su to the Wuyi Diaspora A State Gives Its Name (苏国) The Su (苏, Sū) surname traces its origins to the ancient State of Su, a Zhou-era vassal state in what is today Wen County, Henan — and from that small principality a lineage that produced…

August 10, 20260Comments

BySteven

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Zeng (曾) Surname: From Confucian Lineage to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Zeng (曾) Surname: From Confucian Lineage to the Wuyi Diaspora A Sage's Name: The Kingdom That Became the Surname The Zeng (曾, Zēng) surname carries a Confucian pedigree no other Wuyi surname can claim: its first ancestor is 曾子 (Zēngzǐ, Zengzi), the disciple Confucius made the model of filial piety and later canonized as…

August 7, 20260Comments

BySteven

An open Chinese clan genealogy book from the World Digital Library collection, representing the centuries-old tradition of recording every male birth, marriage, and migration across generations — the foundation of diaspora roots research.

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Zhao (赵) Surname: 3,100 Years from Imperial China to the Wuyi Diaspora

Every Chinese person who has ever learned to read has memorized the same four characters: 赵钱孙李 — Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li. These are the opening words of the Hundred Family Surnames (百家姓, Bǎijiāxìng), the most famous roster of Chinese names in history, compiled during the Song Dynasty (宋朝, Sòng Cháo, 960-1279 CE). For a millennium,…

July 14, 20260Comments

BySteven

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

Chen Surname: Meaning, Origin, and China’s Most Common Family Name

Water Has Ten Thousand Branches but One Source 56| In 1225 on a hillside in northern Guangdong, one man gathered his family and made a pact. His name was 陈辉 (Chén Huī), honorifically called 凤台公 (Fèngtái Gōng, Honorable Fengtai). He was a Song-dynasty jinshi (进士), the highest imperial examination degree, who served as Imperial…

July 13, 20260Comments

BySteven

The historic gateway of Zhuji Lane in Nanxiong, Guangdong — the narrow alley through which 33 surnames including Zhou migrated south during the Southern Song Dynasty.

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Zhou (周) Surname: Three Thousand Years from China’s Longest Dynasty to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Longest Dynasty The Zhou (周) Dynasty ruled China for nearly eight hundred years — longer than the Roman Empire, longer than any European royal house, longer than most civilizations last at all. From 1046 BCE to 256 BCE, the Zhou kings held the Mandate of Heaven (天命, Tiānmìng), the divine right to rule that…

July 10, 20260Comments

BySteven

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Liang (梁) Surname: 2,700 Years from Zhou Dynasty State to Wuyi Diaspora

The Liang (梁) Surname: 2,700 Years from Zhou Dynasty State to Wuyi Diaspora In 770 BCE, King Ping of Zhou enfeoffed a loyal nobleman named Kangbo as the ruler of a small territory in present-day Shaanxi province. He named it the State of Liang (梁国, Liáng Guó). For 129 years, the state endured — a…

July 7, 20260Comments

BySteven

Jiangmen Overseas Chinese Pla...

Taishan Energy Economy: What...

The Dual Corridor Era: What T...

JUNO: The World’s Large...

Taishanese Phrases: 30 Things...

Tag: genealogy

Jiangmen Overseas Chinese Pla...

Taishan Energy Economy: What...

The Dual Corridor Era: What T...

JUNO: The World’s Large...

Taishanese Phrases: 30 Things...

The Gao (高) Surname: From the State of Gao to the Wuyi Diaspora

Zhongshan County Guide: The Diaspora’s Overlooked Home County

The Yuan (袁) Surname: From the State of Chen to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Pan (潘) Surname: From the State of Pan to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Su (苏) Surname: From the Ancient State of Su to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Zeng (曾) Surname: From Confucian Lineage to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Zhao (赵) Surname: 3,100 Years from Imperial China to the Wuyi Diaspora

Chen Surname: Meaning, Origin, and China’s Most Common Family Name

The Zhou (周) Surname: Three Thousand Years from China’s Longest Dynasty to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Liang (梁) Surname: 2,700 Years from Zhou Dynasty State to Wuyi Diaspora

Jiangmen Overseas Chinese Pla...

Taishan Energy Economy: What...

The Dual Corridor Era: What T...

JUNO: The World’s Large...

Taishanese Phrases: 30 Things...

Join the Roots Of China newsletter